Marchin' On
by ChalakChalak
Summary: "The key to change... is to let go of fear." Rosanne Cash
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Kazune Kawahara sensei and Viz America. I'm making absolutely no profit. Although I tremendously wish Yoh belonged to me.

Author's note:

Hiya! There are small things I want to explain and I'm hoping some of you will give me a minute or two to do so.

Seeing as this is originally a Japanese manga, I intend to keep honorifics and a few other cultural tidbits intact. That said, I'm not Japanese myself so feel free to shake your fist at me and correct me if I ever misuse anything. If there is anyone who is not familiar with said cultural tidbits, I provide explanations at the bottom of the page. I lived in Japan for a small period of time so most of the places and things I described are from my own experience. Other things are purely my imagination and google search. Again, fist shaking and rages are allowed if I get anything wrong. I don't get offended easily.

A warning. This story is being published cause I have time and it's sitting in my computer hard drive, gathering imaginary dust glaring at me. trying to push me into publishing it. It may not get completed. Or it may turn out like "Sun Faded Curtains" and end up trillions of chapters long. Let's hang on for the ride together, ok?

Off you go.

* * *

"Wahhhh! Everything is huge! Look at that building, Yoh! Are you looking at it? Waaaah!"

But he wasn't looking at it. He was still slightly glowering down at her though the expression was slowly sliding off his face. How could he remain sour at her; not when she was all but glowing beside him, her expression as excited and happy as he remembered it. She continued to ramble at high speed and he let her talk, taking his time to steal glances at her. He didn't want to be too obvious in his observations but she had changed since he'd last seen her. Granted, it had been over six months ago but time had been good to her. Her heart shaped face had filled out a bit, making her look older, more her age. Her eyes were still huge and full of wonder and excitement, something he thought wouldn't change no matter how much time went by. Her hair was longer, though he wasn't sure whether this was her real hair or extensions, like she had done on their Christmas date. He decided that he didn't mind the long hair. Nevertheless, a part of him had grown quite affectionate to her shorter style. Even though she had come wearing her over the top clothes, he couldn't deny the fact that she filled up her dress quite nicely. But he'd never tell her that. Hell, just thinking of it made his ears turn red.

"Are you listening?"

She had stopped in front of him, making him jerk back as to not run directly into her.

"What's wrong?" she asked, concern quickly flooding her eyes, "Is it the dress? I knew it was a bit much," she added sheepishly, "But Assa-chan said it looked ok."

She trailed off, looking a bit downcast. It was like looking at a kicked puppy.

"It's fine," he muttered and to her surprised, he smiled at her, "I think I've forgotten to be used to it."

"Used to what?" she raised her eyebrows curiously but he merely sidestepped her and grabbed the handle of her luggage. They continued to walk down, Haruna practically bouncing on the balls of her feet. He was taking her to her apartment, one he had found for her after she had given him the news: she would be going to Japan Women's College of Physical Education in Tokyo. She had been in tears over the phone, not just because of the prospect of getting accepted into a great college but also because she could finally, after "ages" as she had put it, FINALLY be by his side again. He had chided her, of course, not to exaggerate matters. A year apart was not 'ages' at all and it's not like they were dying without each other. However, she hadn't seen the fact that he had punched the air in triumph after she hung up nor did she realize that he had missed her a lot, more than he cared to admit. And having her by his side again, commenting on everything from the buildings to the teenagers by the sidewalk in their crazy attire, was like being back home again.

"This is the station," he steered her into it, his large hand warmly wrapping around her smaller one.

"Mm!" she smiled at their joined hands, and followed him down the steps.

* * *

After dropping her off, he had to rush off to work. An unfortunate fact but one that could not be denied. Besides, her eyes had glowed with stars when he told her about his internship and he could tell she was already imagining great (and highly unlikely) responsibilities which he was in charge of. He didn't tell her that he was starting from the very bottom of the working chain, a fact that anyone else would have obviously know. Anyone except Haruna, of course. He left her right outside the building and though he had turned beet red afterward, he hadn't denied himself a kiss from her, despite the onlookers. Now, slightly pink in the face and breathless, she looked up at the building and her new home. Up to now, she hadn't felt nervous or frightened at all. She had been with Yoh, after all. But now, alone and with the prospect of a new life, she felt her hand become sweaty and clammy.

"OK!" she pumped herself up, totally unaware of the strange glances from the elders around her doing their grocery shopping.

"Let's do this!"

She dragged her suitcase up the stairs outside the building and opened the entrance doors. A woman was waiting for her inside, casually chatting with an older woman who was leaning against a walking stick.

"Excuse me, I'm Haruna…"

"Ahh, yes, the new resident!" The woman who spoke seemed to be in her forties or fifties but her face still held traces of her younger years. She had a smooth, kind looking face, and her eyes twinkled as she looked down at Haruna's attire.

"My, you look precious, doesn't she, grandmother?"

The grandmother nodded, a smile lighting up her face. Unlike her companion, she was very old and wrinkly but no less kind-looking.

"You don't see young people wearing such beautiful dresses anymore," she commented, her voice a bit raspy but otherwise strong.

"Come in, come in, how rude of us…"

"Sorry to intrude…"

The lobby was spacious and homely. It had the feel of the two women, a place that looked and immediately felt like home.

"Auntie and I are usually around the lobby or the kitchen so if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask," the grandmother said, slowly disappearing into the reception office. When she came back out, the key to her new apartment was in her wrinkled hand.

"Here you go," she said, while the auntie called the elevator, "She'll show you around. I'll be staying the reception desk, ok?"

Haruna nodded and thanked her.

"I'll give you all the information you need," the auntie said once they were in the elevator, "but don't hesitate to ask if you don't know anything. It can be scary, moving into a new city."

She smiled kindly at Haruna who had to resist the urge to hug her. Already, she felt she was receiving too much kindness from strangers and couldn't help but think highly of Tokyo.

"Breakfast is from eight to ten and dinner is from eight to eleven. But if you're late for dinner, I can leave your meal out on the table and you can reheat it when you get back. You can buy meal tickets from grandmother, either single tickets or in packs. They're 500 yen each, yes? Just put them in the basket at the reception desk."

They got off at the eight floor and almost immediately to the left in front of the elevator, her new apartment door gleamed at her.

"Here you are," auntie handed her the key, "Remember we're always in the lobby, yes?"

"Thank you so much," Haruna smiled thankfully, and the auntie smiled back. Haruna had a feeling she too had moved to Tokyo at a young age. As the auntie headed back, Haruna opened the door and met her new apartment.

It was better than she had expected. The kitchen was directly to her left, stocked with an induction cooker, a mini fridge, and large sink. In front of the kitchen, to the entrance's right was the bathroom. Unlike the one at home, this one had both toilet and bath in one. She kicked off her heels and searched her luggage for her slippers. Once on, she stepped onto the carpeted floor. Pass the kitchen was the large single room with one bed, one desk, and the air-conditioner. She smiled at the small space and ran a finger across the white wall. With a sigh, she went to the curtain and pulled the open. The gasp that left her lips was sudden. Sliding open the balcony doors, she stepped outside to the noise and the wonderful view of Edogawa. The sun was high in the sky, kids were riding their bicycles while the adults chatted with one another, and birds chirped loudly all around her.

This was it. This was her new home. And Yoh, she knew, was somewhere out there, no longer hours and miles away but a mere train ride away.

She folded her arms on the railing and placed her chin on top. Closing her eyes, she smelled the sea and smiled.

It was time to explore.

* * *

"Where are you?"

"Huh? Oh, I don't know!"

She could have sworn she heard a growl.

"Didn't I tell you to stay put until I got back?"

She bit her kip, shuffling her feet like a child.

"But did you know the sea is _right here_?"

"That's not the sea, it's a river. Stay where you are, I'm coming to get you."

"…."

"What?"

"I'm not by the river though…"

"So…where are you?"

A pause.

"Haruna?"

"There's a park by the sea too, did you know?"

This time she definitely heard him growl.

"That park is huge! How am I supposed to find you?"

"I'm sorry! I'll go ask where the exit is."

"Do that and call me back."

Haruna felt sorry but not really. The river had been gorgeous and she had eaten a small bento there, wistfully wishing he had finished early and joined her. After waiting around by the river for a while, she had meandered around and by chance she had found herself in the park. But Yoh had been right, the park was huge and after an hour, she found herself quite lost. Worse, there was no one around to ask for directions. After fifteen minutes of walking around and looking (only once did she procrastinate but she had found a really cool looking flower. It had taken all her might not to touch it and see if it felt as fuzzy as it looked) she finally found a nice older man to ask directions for the nearest way out of the park. He had helped her nicely enough though he felt the need to hold her hand to point out the directions. Maybe this was how Tokyo people were. He didn't seem like a bad man to Haruna anyway.

Her phone rang.

"I'm almost at the exit."

"I'm here already."

"Ok!"

She walked quicker, her phone dangling from her hand. She started to recognize the signs from where she had started and sighed in relief. Once she was at the gate, she looked around while dialing his number.

"Where are you?" she asked, still searching for Yoh.

"At the exit."

"I don't see you though."

There was a pause and then a sigh.

"You did ask for the exit, right?"

"Yeah…."

She bit her lip nervously again. No, she hadn't.

"No you didn't. You probably asked for the nearest way out."

She felt her jaw drop.

"How'd you-"

"Just….just stay there."

The connection was cut off and she continued to bite her lip nervously. _Aghh, I'm was always causing Yoh trouble, _she thought regretfully, _it's a wonder he hadn't completely reached the end of his patience with me._

She looked around, hoping for a bench or something to sit on. She had been under the sun for more than two hours and it was wearing her off. Though it was still spring, she could feel summer slowly coming. Nothing else but the Japanese sun and humidity could make her this tired.

She flopped onto the nearest bench and sighed. She wondered rather guiltily if he was upset at her. No sooner had she finished her thought when she felt his shadow fall over her. She looked up at him nervously, clapping her hands together in front of her.

"Sorry!" she said instantaneously.

But he didn't look angry. He snorted and shook his head.

"You really are something else."

After a quick glance at her attire, he turned around and showed her his back.

"You look tired," he said to no one in particular, "climb on."

Her eyes widened in surprise.

"You-you're serious?"

Even though she couldn't see him, she imaged he rolled his eyes in that exasperated way she always seemed to draw out of him.

"You want to walk back then?"

"NO!" she hopped onto the bench but hesitated. Should she drape her legs around him first? The thought made her blush. Maybe it was best to leave a bit of distance between them once she was on. But she didn't want to. Should she place her head on his right shoulder or left? What if she was too heavy for him? Would he regret carrying her?

"What are you waiting for?" he snapped, clearly irritated. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her, "What are you thinking?"

"Nothing, nothing!" Haruna waved her hands wildly in front of her, blocking her thoughts from his x-ray vision. He rolled his eyes at her again.

"Well, hurry up."

She snaked her arms around his neck and felt his arms do the same towards her back. With a pull, he heaved her on in one quick, fluid movement. He started to walk but she couldn't concentrate on the scenery anymore.

She could feel every single one of his fingers.

"You know, it's dangerous to walk around by yourself around places you don't know."

His deep voice rumbled in his back and into her chest. It was like touching rolling thunder. She hid her face in his shoulder, trying to hid the blush that spread across her cheeks. She discovered that he smelled clean and crisp with a light musky scent, like wood. She knew she would cherish that smell from now on.

"Sorry," she tried to say but she doubted it came out properly. Her voice was caught somewhere in her chest.

They traveled in silence, the sun setting somewhere behind them, completely unnoticed by both of them. After an entire year, this was the first time they had come into contact and both were cherishing it completely. Bashfully, he leaned his head to the side and bumped her forehead. She smiled at his way of showing affection and kissed his cheek, causing him to almost drop her. She couldn't help the laughter that bubbled out of her. She thought she was a lost cause most of the time but she almost forgot he was just as shy (if not more) than she was.

Her laughter was infectious and soon they laughed loudly as she swung her legs around, causing him to lose his balance. They yelled and shouted when she cupped her hands over his eyes and almost lead them straight into the river. And laughed even more when he spun her around, causing her to hide her face in his neck once more.

She hoped the walk back to her apartment would never end.

* * *

Honorifics:  
~chan: cute, almost childish way of calling someone. Best friends use it with one another, a mother and her child, and so on. It's very informal and mostly used by women.

~kun: male version of chan. Also used when a higher up is speaking to a person in a lower 'position'. It's informal and used by males, although once in a while you'll hear it used with women too.

~ san: This is the default when speaking to anyone. It's like Mr/Ms. It's polite and should always be used when you don't know a person.

Yoh and Haruna call each other by their first names without any honorifics (at least in the translated versions of the manga). This is a huge indication that they are in a close relationship. It can also be extremely rude to call someone you don't know by their first name.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me...blah blah, read first chapter.

* * *

The sun hadn't completely set yet but it's slow disappearance provided Japan with cooler air. Unlike Tokyo, Edogawa was not as congested with bright light and signs so the stars shone quite brightly in the see indigo sky.

"The cicadas are really loud," Yoh commented, letting go of her hand as they climbed the stairs of her building, "For sure, summer is almost here."

But his comment was lost when he caught her face, her eyes staring at their separated hands.

"Come off it, I don't want your landlady to think anything bad."

Her lips turned into a comical 'O' shape as she realized what he meant.

"I forgot…"

He shook his head despite of himself. They were no longer at home where almost everyone close to them knew they were a couple. This was different. They were different.

"Welcome back, Haruna," the landlady greeted her with a smile, a smile that quickly turned mischievous as Yoh came through the entrance doors.

"Um, he's going to help me unpack," explained Haruna, hoping to the Gods she wasn't blushing.

"Of course, of course," said the auntie, while half-dragging a bewildered looking grandmother out of her office. They both stared at Yoh like he was an alien from another land.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Yoh."

He bowed to both women who bowed back in return, never letting him out of their sight.

"We spoke on the phone a few weeks ago," Yoh continued politely, "please take care of Haruna."

The grandmother let out a small, teenage-like giggle while the auntie tried (quite unsuccessfully) to hide her wide smile.

"Of course, young man," said the grandmother, slowly walking over to Yoh, who towered over her small stature. She held his hand and turned it over, examining it before turning to Haruna.

"My, you don't see such handsome and polite men around here. Haruna-chan, you're a lucky girl!"

Both Yoh and Haruna blushed. Grandmother led Yoh to the elevator while chatting with him, Haruna quietly dragging behind. Grandmother didn't let go of Yoh's hand until both he and Haruna were in the elevator.

"Remember now, no boys allowed after midnight Haruna-chan!"

"But we'll long be in bed by then!"

With auntie's cheerful warning, grandmother's roguish reply, and Haruna's splutter of surprise, the elevator's door shut closed.

There was a long, pregnant pause while the elevator reached the eight floor. Once the doors opened, she stiffly walked out, her limbs moving robot-like all the way to her door. Her hands trembled as she tried to stuff the key into the keyhole. Never had she encountered such a hard task before; the keyhole seemed to be dancing wildly around the key. After a few unsuccessful minutes, Yoh's hand wrapped around hers.

"You ok?" his deep voice rumbled somewhere near her ear and she jumped in fright, her head connecting with his nose.

"Arghh!"

She turned in time to see him stagger back, holding his bleeding nose.

"Yoh!"

With surprising speed, she opened the door and led him inside, not caring enough to pay attention to his protest over his shoes. She made him sit on her bed while she rummaged through her luggage, throwing things haphazardly around the room until she found her first aid kit.

"It's fine," he said calmly, taking the gauze she thrust under his bleeding nose, "It's not as bad as it seems."

But she wasn't listening. She was already taking off his shoes, throwing them by the open entrance and raising his feet.

"This will stop the bleeding!" she exclaimed wildly.

"Stop that!"

He tried fighting her off but it only made her grab on harder. She climbed onto the bed in an effort to keep his feet from getting away from her.

"We have to stop the bleeding or you'll bleed to death!"

She grabbed hold of his thigh in order to reach for fresh gauze and skirmished her way to his face.

"I told you I'm fine-" but she wasn't listening. They both seemed to realize the awkward position they were in, where her hand was at the moment, not to mention how close their faces were. He could count all her eyelashes. She felt his hot breath on her lips. Without warning, the year apart seemed to hit them hard and suddenly.

"Haruna-chan, I forgot to give you the-"

Both whipped their heads around to the open entrance and the auntie's shocked face.

Haruna fell off the bed in her haste to put distance between she and Yoh.

"It's not what-"

"His nose was-"

Their explanations drowned each other out but the auntie wasn't listening anyway. She merely smiled widely again, her eyes going from Yoh's bloody nose to the red gauze on the floor.

"I'll leave it on the counter then," she said with a smile while placing the piece of paper on the kitchen counter, "and I'll close the door, just in case."

It was a while after the door closed that either of them moved. When they did, neither looked at one another, but scrambled around the apartment, wondering loudly whether the walls were painted white or shell colored. After a while though, Haruna started to laugh and Yoh joined her, both extremely relieved to let out their anxiety in any way.

He was soon helping her unpack, slowly and far more calmly, all the while talking about Tokyo and her new classes. Surprisingly enough, she wasn't too nervous about her new life, not when Yoh was around. He made it sound simpler, far more easier than she had imagined. It grounded her, made her feel safe despite the fact that she was miles away from home, quite alone.

After she unpacked, they ate a simple bento outside the supermarket next to her building and by ten o'clock, Yoh announced his departure.

"I have to work from ten to six tomorrow," he told her, holding her hand and inspecting it as if it was the most interesting thing in the world, "but if you want to catch dinner afterwards, I'm up for it."

She smiled and threw her arms around him.

"Yes, please!"

She skipped all the way home.

* * *

"Good morning, Haruna-chan! Oh, what happened to your long hair?"

"Good morning, grandmother, auntie!" she beamed at them both, "My hair?"

She touched the ends if her hair, barely reaching her shoulders.

"I forgot to be careful in the bath," she sighed, looking a bit sad at her own clumsiness, "I'm just not used to having so much hair."

"Mmm," hummed auntie, looking like she wanted to add something naughty but instead she asked, "Where are you going today?" while leaning against the broom she was holding. She smiled wickedly at grandmother who was sitting behind the reception desk.

"I'm off to find a job," Haruna announced proudly, as if she had announced she had been crowned queen of Japan.

"Ehhh…"

Haruna paid for a week's worth of dinner and was waiting for the grandmother to give her the tickets when she felt the auntie behind her.

"And how's Yoh-san? I'm sure he doesn't mind shorter hair."

Haruna blushed to her roots.

"We really didn't do anything, auntie!"

Auntie let out a good-natured chuckle.

"I know, Haruna-chan."

"It doesn't stop us from teasing you though," the grandmother reappeared, handing Haruna her tickets, "No, and with a man like that…I'm surprised you're so controlled!"

"Grandmother!" exclaimed both auntie and Haruna. It almost caused Haruna to melt from embarrassment when she told them she'd be going to dinner with Yoh tonight. By the time she stepped outside, her face was as red as if she had been tanning for hours at the beach.

Once she reached the train station, though, she had her old confidence back and brandished her map like a weapon.

"All right!" she exclaimed, a raised fist hanging in the air, "Let's go find a job!"

* * *

"I'm off!"

"Yoh-kun!"

Yoh turned around to see his professor and employer walking towards him. He clapped his hand on Yoh's shoulder and Yoh was surprised to see his professor smile proudly at him.

"That report you handed in three days ago-" his professor shook his head disbelievingly, "Well, let's just say I knew then that it was a good idea to hire you for this internship. Amazing. Simple, concise, precise, and amazing."

Yoh blushed slightly at such high praise. Professor Yamashita was not an unkind person but he was not a person who was easily impressed. It had taken nearly two year of hard work to be given a chance to prove he could do this internship and only a few weeks ago had it turned from a mere internship to a paid one.

"There are a few things I'd like to discuss with you, if you have the time."

Yoh glanced at the clock. He was supposed to meet Haruna at eight but if he stayed, he'd surely be late. This professor however, was no mere professor. If Yoh could manage it, he could soon be fully employed under one of the greatest evolutionist thinkers of this age.

"S-sure thing, Professor. Let me just make a quick call-"

But his professor chuckled knowingly.

"Have a date, huh?"

Yoh took a moment before smiling apologetically at his phone.

"She'll understand."

Professor Yamashita looked quite surprised at this statement.

"Will she really?"

Yoh was used to this look. It only reminded him that he was lucky to have Haruna in his life. She, out of all people, would understand.

"Yeah, she will."

His professor spluttered in such a way that he reminisced Haruna almost exactly. It took Yoh back by surprise.

"Lord, if that's true then we can talk about this tomorrow!"

"Huh?" Yoh exclaimed. His shoulder was clamped again by Professor Yamashita's enormous hand.

"If she's willing to accept your lateness without a doubt in her mind, then she's a keeper," he tapped his noise knowingly, "If I tell my wife one more time I'll be late for dinner, she and I will never get started on that family, if you know what I mean!"

He chuckled at his own joke, despite Yoh's embarrassment.

"Don't worry. How about you earlier to work tomorrow and we'll speak then."

"Thank you, professor," Yoh bowed at his teacher. Professor Yamashita waved his hand in a nonchalant way.

"Now make sure you don't do anything tonight that'll make you late tomorrow morning, eh?"

If Yoh could have melted into the ground, he'd surely would have at that moment.

He hurried off to the café nearby, where they had promised to meet. Now that she was in the city and close by, the day had been long and tiring. He was happy with his studies (though the semester was not yet in session) and even happier with his job. He felt like he could accomplish something in this life, and the sense of future achievement filled his life with confidence. But Haruna seemed to fill that emptiness nothing else could replace. It was strange, really. In his first year, he had learned how evolutionary thought had described emotions such as love as mere attachment behaviors that led to the most primal instinct in animals which is to reproduce. Concepts like love and affection were something human beings had made up, to romanticize life and give meaning to more basic instincts.

He was able to believe this and he had little to no doubt about it. In fact, it was a paper based solely on that idea that bought Professor Yamashita's attention to Yoh in his first year. But when he thought back to Haruna, it was difficult to think that all he wanted to do with her was merely to procreate and pass on his genes. Surely, when her eyes shone happily when looking at him or when she had some crazy ideas coming out of her mouth and all he wanted to do was kiss her and shut her up, it was not merely his reproductive instinct controlling him.

He entered the café, his eyes searching for her familiar face, only to find a dark, gloomy spot by the corner of the room. The other patrons had cleared a radius around her, sitting as far as away as they could from the dark presence as possible. But Yoh became immediately worried. No one else could give off such an aura, especially when she was distressed. With three long strides, he was immediately by her side.

"What happened? What's wrong?"

She mumbled rapidly, showing with her hands what apparently had happened to her. Something to do with her hair, he guessed, by the way she kept tugging her short strands (part of him was very relieved to see the extensions were gone) and quite a few times, she pointed at her chest, much to his embarrassment.

"All right, so you didn't have a good day," he guessed as she continued to ramble on, "Let's go for a walk, maybe that'll help."

He paid for her untouched drink and set off. She was still in a gloomy haze, enough to clear the sidewalk all the way to the nearest park. There, he sat her down and crouched in front of her. He cupped her small face in his hands so he could take a good look at her. He didn't like what he saw.

"Why do you look so defeated?"

At this, she let out a wail.

"My breasts are too small!"

She sobbed loudly, the rest of her words lost between her tears and his embarrassment. He was extremely thankful he chose a rather remote area of the park.

"I'm afraid to ask," he started with a sigh, "but what happened?"

"I could have done plenty of jobs, I'd be a good waitress, right Yoh?" he tried to answer but she continued, "And then the manager said I had to fit into the shirt but I didn't fit too well, even when he gave me the smallest size, there was still space on my chest!"

She had wailed the last part out. Yoh was quiet for a minute before chuckling mirthfully. She gaped at him, disbelievingly.

"Why are you so happy at my pain?"

He gave her a slightly reproaching look at this comment.

"_You_ should be happy I'm not _angry_. Didn't I tell you not to start searching until I had time to help you?"

She pursed her lips, clearly not happy with this statement.

"Well, I figured you'd be busy and I didn't want to trouble you too much."

"Trouble me? You're my girlfriend." He spoke as this settled all matters on the subject. She looked rather touched, her eyes filling up with tears again.

"Yoh…" she whimpered and threw her arms around him. He patted her back until she let go, looking a bit sour still.

"Why can't I look for a job without you?"

Yoh rolled his eyes.

"These jobs were mostly in Akihabara, right?"

She nodded.

"They paid really good, didn't they?"

Another nod.

"And the only requirement was to fit into the maid's clothes, yes?"

She vehemently nodded.

"Clothes that looked like they belonged to Barbie, yes?"

He was sure her head would fall off with all that nodding.

"Dummy!"

He lightly rapped her head.

"That's not a job I want you to have. They only want you parading around in small skirts and tight clothes in order for all the men to gawk at you!"

She seemed to be thinking about this carefully. After a short pause, she broke out in tears again.

"That means I wasn't attractive enough!"

Yoh let out a tired chuckle.

"You're attractive to me. That's all that should matter."

"Even if my breasts are too small to fit in a maid's outfit?"

He narrowed his eyes at her. He let her hear what she just said and was rewarded with a gasp and a tomato-colored girlfriend in front of him.

"Anyway," he continued, "It's only your first day. I'm sure we'll find something."

She smiled gratefully at him and had enough courage to peck his lips.

"Thank you."

And though her smile was watery and her eyes hadn't regained the bright sparkle he was used to, he had half a mind to revise that paper he had done in his first year.

* * *

Honorifics:  
~chan: cute, almost childish way of calling someone. Best friends use it with one another, a mother and her child, and so on. It's very informal and mostly used by women.

~kun: male version of chan. Also used when a higher up is speaking to a person in a lower 'position'. It's informal and used by males, although once in a while you'll hear it used with women too.

~ san: This is the default when speaking to anyone. It's like Mr/Ms. It's polite and should always be used when you don't know a person.

Yoh and Haruna call each other by their first names without any honorifics (at least in the translated versions of the manga). This is a huge indication that they are in a close relationship. It can also be extremely rude to call someone you don't know by their first name.

Akihabara- known as a geek's paradise with all sorts of anime stores and electronic shops. There's a lot of maid cafe's in the shadier parts of the district that are...well...shady. And knowing Haruna, she wouldn't know the difference between the normal maid's cafe and the weirder maid's cafe.


End file.
